Microsoft looks to secure Web content

Microsoft will launch a security project called Web Sandbox, for securing Web content through isolation, at the its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles this week.

Paul Krill
October 27, 2008

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Microsoft will launch a security project called Web Sandbox, for securing Web content through isolation, at the company's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles this week.

The Microsoft Live Labs Web Sandbox features a prototype of technology for mashing up code while maintaining better process isolation, quality of service protection, and security, according to the company.

"This will foster more efficient cross-browser development, increased mash-up innovation, and new third-party extensibility models," according to a description of the PDC effort released by a Microsoft representative.

The Live Web Sandbox website describes the project as addressing the problem of modern Web applications being "intrinsically insecure, often with unpredictable service quality."

"Today, Web gadgets, mashup components, advertisements and other third-party content on websiteseither run with full trust alongside your content or are isolated inside of IFrames," resulting in a lack of security, the Web page states.

"We have created a cross-browser JavaScript virtualisation layer that provides a secure standards-based programming model without requiring any add-ons," according to the site. "We are not done yet. We need your help: Experiment with the Sandbox and make sure it works.

"We've included a set of samples so you can try to break the Sandbox. Our goal is to provide reusable components that will allow you to secure your Web 2.0 mashups. Our goal is to work together to standardise a secure Web platform. "